Remember when games were tough? Return to the Golden Age of arcades with an all-NEW hardcore action experience that pulls no punches. Volgarr the Viking possesses all the hallmarks of the true classics - simple controls, high challenge, and meticulous design - combined with hand-made pixel animation, an epic soundtrack, and buckets of blood. Flex your gaming muscles and step into the arena with Volgarr the Viking. We dare you.

My impressions:I was hesitant to get this but the great user impressions and reviews convinced me. And I am not disappointed. The retro games that inspired Volgarr may be before my time, but as a fan of Dark Souls and brutal platformers, I feel right at home

The controls are tight and responsive and the platforming and level design is tough but never feels unfair. I've played with both a keyboard and controller and both work equally well. In fact, I was surprised that I prefer using the keyboard. The combat is the highlight for me though. I haven't felt so satisfied with combat in a game since well...Dark Souls. Every enemy must be taken seriously because every hit is dangerous. The smooth controls and animations combine to make you feel like a Viking badass in every encounter. Combat is no button mashing affair; button mashing will only get you killed faster. Instead every fight is a combination of timing, reflexes, and split-second reactions.

You only have a handful of attacks but each is useful and I never felt like I needed more. Do you have enough time to charge your spear to skewer that group of enemies? Or is it smarter to dpdge behind them and gain some breathing room. Timing your attacks to avoid getting hit yourself and recognizing the strengths of each enemy and adapting according also enhances the combat. What equipment you have or don'y have also affects how you fight. The blue steel shield allows you to blow infinite attacks, but without a shield or just a wooden shield, you'll need to dodge more and stay on the move

Each level is varied as are the enemies and there's quite a bit of replay value. Six worlds to play through, with alternate levels to play if you don't die as much and a seventh world that is only unlocked for most skilled of players. Even better, you can activate a speedrun mode if you want to test your skills in that way